A Refuge from the Fairytale
by Athena's phoenix
Summary: Teddy is woken in the middle of the night by three teary-eyed Potter children, and considers the reason why.  A visit from Harry helps to set him straight about the meaning of family.


Teddy Lupin groaned and blinked at the clock, rubbing sleep from his eyes. It was nine-thirty, at night, and he would usually still be up. Today, though, he had been exhausted after a long day of curse-breaking, and had crashed early. He shoved himself out of bet and went to answer the door of his apartment. He pulled it open, and saw, to his surprise, his godfather's kids. Looking closer, Teddy realized that Lily's eyes were bright with tears, and James looked ready to hit someone. Albus, in contrast, stood there with a bland expression, yet refused to meet his eyes.

"Hullo, Teddy," murmured Lily, before launching herself into his arms.

"Lily? James, Albus, what are you doing here?"

"We've run away!" declared James, who glared at Teddy as if daring him to protest. Teddy did not, merely ushered the kids inside to the kitchen, where he waved his wand to start the kettle boiling for tea or hot cocoa.

When they were all seated with hot mugs in front of them, Teddy finally asked the question that was burning in his mind.

"So, what happened? Why did you decide to run away?"

James picked at his sleeve, and Lily was humming a tuneless song, oblivious. It was Albus who answered.

"Mum and Dad had a row."

"Ah," Teddy said, as if that explained everything. And, in fact, it did.

"What about?"

"I dunno. Something stupid. It's always something stupid. Like forgetting which sponge is clean or saying sorry 'too much'."

"Oh, yeah. That sponge argument goes _way_ back. To before you were born, James." James looked up at his almost-brother, trying to smile, and failing. Finally, the oldest of the three burst into tears, and flung himself at Teddy like Lily had done earlier.

Teddy rubbed the nine-year-olds back, sighing.

"It'll be okay. They'll get over it eventually, and it'll be fine."

"But I hate it when they fight!" Albus jumped up from the table, marching into the living room and away from the others.

Teddy looked down at James, who was yawning into his shirt.

"S'my fault," the boy muttered into Teddy's chest, "They were arguing 'bout me. Now everyone's upset. Mum, an' Dad, an' Al, an' Lily. I jus' didn't wan'ta hear it anymore."

"It's not your fault James. Really. Sometimes grownups just like to argue. You were just a convenient topic."

Lily looked up from poking the marshmallows around in her cup.

"That'd ex—explain a lot," she said, nodding smartly. Then she pushed her chair out and shuffled into the living room.

James had fallen asleep, and Teddy carefully shifted him in his arms and walked after the youngest sibling. There he found Albus curled up on the sofa, claimed by sleep as well, and Lily perched in an armchair examining a book much to advanced for the six-year-old. Setting James down beside his brother, Teddy walked over to the little girl.

"Hey," he said, smiling, "you took the only chair. Either budge over so I can sit next to you, or sit on my lap."

Teddy ended up with a lapful of little girl.

"Lily," he began, "do you think you might be sleepy too?"

"Nope! I'm reading." She gestured toward the advanced Arithmancy book in her hands.

Teddy groaned good-naturedly.

"How about you let me read that to you, hm? Then we can both enjoy it."

"Sure! It's about hippogriphs. Read me about 'em."

"Alright, there once was a little hippogriph with a redish-orange coat—just like you're hair. Now, most of the other hippogriph were gray, or black or brown..."

Teddy blinked blearily up at the person who was poking him in the shoulder. Slowly the black and tan blob formed a face with spectacled green eyes and a jagged lightning bolt scar, framed by untamed black hair.

"Harry. Hey. What are you doing in...my...room...?" His godfather chucked at him, and Teddy looked around. He was _not_ in his room. He was in the reclining armchair with red-haired kid asleep on top of him. Teddy found himself chuckling too, before he looked once more at Harry.

"Uh, what time is it? The clock in here doesn't exactly tell time..."

"It's midnight, roughly. Ginny sent me to bring the kids back."

"You two work it out then? It must have been a doozy if it bothered these three little monsters as much as it did."

Harry frowned.

"It really wasn't anything. I don't know why they got upset like they did."

"That's right...you didn't have to listen to your parent's spats. Neither did I, but I guess I had you two instead. Doncha know, it _always_ upsets them when you and Ginny get to yelling. You're the strongest, most reliable parts of their lives, and when you fight, it confuses them, I guess. I'm really not saying it right... Ask Gin. She'd know what I mean."

"Sure." Harry was silent for a moment before he grinned. Can you help me bring them home? It'd make a lot less trips."

"Fine. Take this lump on top of me off, and you've got a deal."

Harry bent, and pulled Lily into his arms. She shifted, blinking up at him and murmured a sleepy "Hullo Daddy," before laying her head on his shoulder. Teddy rolled off of the chair with a thump, his hair shifting from a mousy brown to light silver, then to bright blue.

He stood, blinked the spots out of his eyes, and hefted James from where he was sprawled over his brother.

The two men disapparated with a crack and landed on the Potters' front porch, where the door was opened by an exhausted Ginny. Once the children were tucked in their beds, Harry and his godson went back to Teddy's apartment.

As Harry lifted his younger son into his arms, Teddy said, "You know, it still kind of bothers _me_ when you two fight. I can't imagine how it is for those three, seeing as you're their real parents."

Shifting Al in his arms, Harry laid a hand on Teddy's shoulder.

"We're your real parents too, you know, as long as you want us to be. You just have two dads and two mums." Then with a soft smile and a sharp crack, Teddy found himself standing alone in the room.

Then, grumbling about batty family members intruding upon his precious sleeping time, he headed back to his bed.


End file.
